Pressler loses her bid for public defender

GLENWOOD SPRINGS — Erin Pressler of New Castle, who has been fighting theft charges in Ninth Judicial District courtrooms since mid-2012, this month lost her private attorney and then lost a bid to be represented by the Colorado Office of the Public Defender, according to court records.

Pressler, 45, was in court on Thursday for a hearing before Judge Denise Lynch, to discuss a motion from local defense attorney Tom Silverman to withdraw as her attorney.

According to a motion filed on Jan. 3, Silverman wanted to withdraw over reported lack of payments for his services, and for unspecified “irreconcilable differences” between him and his client.

The judge granted Silverman’s motion on Jan. 6, and vacated a motions hearing scheduled for Jan. 14, rescheduling the hearing for two days later.

On Jan. 16, Pressler applied to the court for representation by the public defender, but the judge ruled that Pressler was not eligible for that service and will have to hire another attorney.

Pressler is accused of stealing at least $100,000 from her employer, Jim Pribil of Designer Door Hardware in Carbondale over the three years she worked for the business.

She was originally arrested on June 19, 2012, on three counts of second degree burglary, a felony, along with second degree tampering, a misdemeanor, and a “computer crime” valued at less than $500. The arrest came after an investigation initiated by Pribil after Pressler quit her job in May 2012.

Subsequent investigation turned up evidence that Pressler allegedly forged Pribil’s signature on checks and used company credit cards to pay personal expenses from April 2009 through May 2012, according to court documents.

According to the affidavit, Pressler was said by a friend to be plotting against Pribil. At one point, the friend told investigators, Pressler said she chased Pribil on I-70 near South Canyon, intending to “force him to run her off the road, so she could sue him.”

Pribil also reported road-rage type encounters with Erin Pressler’s husband, Rod Pressler, on I-70, and the reports prompted the judge to issue a restraining order forbidding further contact between the Presslers and Pribil.